The grosser the smell, the bigger the magnet for your dog. Every pet parent knows it. What most of them never find out is why it happens in the first place.
It’s not random. It’s not rebellion. It’s an instinct with a real explanation behind it.
It’s an Ancient Wolf Instinct
Scientists believe this habit was inherited from wolves. It’s thought that rolling in strong smells helped to mask and disguise their scent while hunting. Think of it as wolf camouflage.
Masking their scent meant that prey couldn’t smell them. Honestly, that’s incredibly smart!
When your dog rolls in something you’d never touch, even for a million dollars, their brain may be telling them it’s a smart move. That could also explain the inevitable smile that occurs during these disgusting rolls. I know my dog, Henry, always smiles when he’s rolled in the grossest thing possible.
It Might Be Scent Communication
But there could be another explanation for this gag-worthy behavior. This theory is also based on wolf habits.
It’s been noted that wild wolves will roll in a scent and bring it back to their pack. It’s thought that this is a way of saying to the pack that something is close by, like food or another animal.
With this thought, your dog’s gross rolling habit might be a way of sharing with the rest of his pack (household members) that he found something interesting. I suppose that’s kind of sweet in a way.
Dogs Just Love Interesting Smells
Dogs experience the world through their nose. Their sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than that of humans. So, that sketchy-looking thing in the grass could be the canine version of a great novel.
Fun Dog Fact: Dogs’ noses have roughly 300 million scent receptors. While humans only have about 6 million. This could be the real reason why what smells gross to us is enticing to your dog.
The next time, your dog flops face-first into that disgusting patch of grass, it’s not a tantrum or payback for cutting their cookies in half. Rather, your pup is simply doing what has been instilled in him for thousands of years. But I also wouldn’t blame you for bathing your pup either.
